TX Attorney General Opinion Request. County Duty to Maintain Public Roads

Requestor: Bosque County Judge

Question to answer: is the Commissioners’ Court required to maintain this road, a public, third class road?

What’s happening in Bosque County? A public road, the ownership of which has been litigated, has a gate across it thanks to a landowner. The commissioners court has been asked to remove the gate to allow public access.

RQ- 0245-KP

$3 Million. Cost to California Tax Payers Per Day for High Speed Rail.

The California High Speed Rail Project by the Numbers:

$3.1 million per day cost to taxpayers over the last year
2033 deadline
$77-billion budget
$27-million-a-day outlay is questioned by outside infrastructure experts

LA Times | Inflation and delays could add billions more to bullet train project costs.

How a republican Governor Became a YES on a high speed rail plan.

A High Speed Rail plan in Florida now contains a financial investment by Florida’s Govenror Rick Scott.

What’s the background? in 2011, Gov. Rick Scott cancelled a high speed rail plan that included a $2.4 billion federally funded and shovel-ready bullet train from Orlando to Tampa

Now in 2018, after his investment, Governor Scott supports the high speed rail.

Miami Herald | Rick Scott killed a high-speed rail plan. Then All Aboard rolled up and he bought it.

5 Points from the Toll Payer Protection Act Proposal

What group is the brainchild of the Toll Payer Protection Act? Texans for Traffic Relief

What does the proposed Act do?

Required voter approval for all toll roads
transparent, accurate, and no exorbitant administration fees in toll billing
when the toll project costs are paid, tolls are removed
no tolling on existing lanes. never ever ever.
no Prop. 1 or 7 funds for tolling

PRESS RELEASE: TEXANS FOR TRAFFIC RELIEF ANNOUNCES NEW PLAN FOR TOLLING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TAXPAYER PROTECTION

Local TREND. Punish Ride Share via Scooter Ordinances

A proposal in San Francisco would consider this when granting scooter licenses:

an applicant’s “past experience, including compliance with applicable laws and its efforts to ensure compliance by its users with applicable laws.”

SF Chronicle | Scooter wars: SF may penalize Lyft, Uber for ride-hail misdeeds

Funding Source: Internet Tax Post US Supreme Court June 2018 Ruling. 2 Supporters.

Michigan is considering dedicating revenue from a new internet sales tax to transportation funding.

What’s the revenue estimate? $200 million

Who else supports this use of the internet sales tax?

The Michigan Department of Transportation
free-market think tank, the Mackinac Center

Iosco County News Herald | Michigan considers using internet sales tax revenue for road funding

Business, Legal and Regulatory TREND. Recouping the Cost of EV Charging Stations. Coming to a Legislature Near You.

WHERE: Missouri

What happened? Courts are determining whether EV charging stations are a means of obtaining a charging service or more like a gas station?

What’s the impact? If the EV charging stations are treated like gas stations then utilities can add EV charging stations in their rate base

What did the state PUC argue? That the EV charging stations offer a service, not the sale of electricity, and are not to be included in the rate base

What are Missouri courts saying? An Appellate court found that EV charging stations are like a gas station can thus costs are recoverable in the rate base

Utility Dive | Missouri court overrules regulators, finds PSC has jurisdiction over EV charging stations

CAMPAIGN and LEGE TREND. No Tollroads without Voter Approval Per Project. WHO. WHAT. WHERE.

WHO: Michael Quinn Sullivan

WHAT: Pushing local activists for primary election question on voter approval for toll roads, adding voter approval for tolls to the State GOP Party Platform, and calling for legislation

WHERE: Texas local GOP party activist, state GOP party, and Texas Legislature

Empower Texas | No Tolls without Voter Approval